“if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26 Honor – Do we really take the words of Jesus as the absolute truth? Do we dwell on them, examining every nuance? If we do, then this verse should startle us. We have long been taught to honor God, but here His own Son…
“but we have renounced the hidden things because of shame” 2 Corinthians 4:2 Renounced – Christians are not the silent majority. In fact, if you are in the silent majority, you are either woefully deficient in your understanding of Christ’s commands or you are living on the wrong side of the God’s fence. Christians are…
“but we have renounced the hidden things because of shame” 2 Corinthians 4:2 Shame – When Paul penned this verse, he did not use the word entrepo for “shame” (see July 18). He used another common Greek word (aischunes). Both words are translated “shame” in English, but they are not quite the same. And this…
“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” 1 Corinthians 4:14 Admonish – The Christian life is not about going to heaven. It’s not about a higher morality. It’s not about being a better person. It’s about agreeing with God that I am hopelessly lost without…
“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” 1 Corinthians 4:14 Shame – Language is not simply descriptive. Language creates culture. In a very important way, what you speak determines how you view the world. That’s why the same event can be called a miracle by…
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” John 12:25 Hates – Are you ready for the rest of the paradox? Have you settled the issue of what you really love? Jesus says that if we make this life, the one…
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” John 12:25 Loves – Jesus reveals the paradox of life on earth. But we won’t understand it unless we know the words he uses for “love” and “hate”. It’s all about relationships. The…
“Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:6 Shout – You have to hear it to understand. You have to feel it to know. This word, ranan, is absolutely unique to Hebrew. Its root is not found in any other…
“Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?”” John 3:4 How – Nicodemus asked the wrong question. Oh, he asked the question that all of us would have asked. But it was the wrong one. Nicodemus heard Jesus say that a man must be born from above if he…
“that you may prove what God’s will is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 Prove – The New International Version translates this word with “you may be able to prove”. What a shame! By introducing the extra words “be able to”, the NIV removes the guarantee. You may be able implies…
